President Joe Biden is accused of withdrawing his pledge to reopen the country’s schools after the White House added fine print to his pledge and made it clear that a full reopening is nowhere near.
Biden’s first promise in December was to reopen “most of our schools” during his first 100 days in office. In January, he stated that the target only applied to schools teaching through eighth grade. And this week, the White House said schools are considered open as long as they teach in person at least one day a week.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended the goal Wednesday, calling it part of a “ bold ambitious agenda. ” But she also said it is a bar the administration hopes to exceed.
“Sure, we don’t plan on celebrating 100 days if we reach that goal,” she said. “We certainly hope to build on that.”
The White House had faced mounting pressure to explain the purpose as the reopening debate gains momentum. Biden had never worked out what it meant to be reopened or how he would define success. Pressed on the question on Tuesday, Psaki clarified that one day a week of personal learning would be enough.
“His goal he has set is to have the most schools – more than 50% – open by day 100 of his presidency,” she said. And that means teaching in classrooms. So at least one day a week. Hopefully it is more. “
The goal was criticized by Republicans who said Biden is setting the bar too low. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called it unacceptable and said schools are now ready to open. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., A former teacher, said the goal does not meet what students need.
“Reopening only 51% of our schools for just one day a week is not a ‘success,'” she said. “We need to work to get all our children back to full-time, face-to-face learning safely again”
With the new caveat, the promise seems a lot less ambitious than what Biden had stated when he first made it. In December, it appeared his pledge was to reopen half of the country’s 130,000+ schools. When it was reduced to only K-8 schools, the scope was narrowed down to the roughly 90,000 schools below the high school.
Now, say critics, the goal has moved so low that it may have already been achieved. Data from Burbio, a service that tracks plans for school opening, recently reported that 58% of K-12 students learn in person to some degree.
“The administration doesn’t have to put in a lot of effort to achieve this goal,” said Jonathan Butcher, an education officer at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
Tracking progress on the goal was difficult due to a lack of federal data on the subject. Last week, Biden’s government said it would collect data from 7,000 schools to show whether they operate online, in person, or in combination. The Trump administration declined to collect that data, saying it was not the responsibility of the federal government.
Some companies and researchers have tried to collect the data themselves, including Burbio, which reported recent progress on schools returning to in-person classes. About 42% of students learned completely online at the end of last month, the company found, against 55% in the first week of the year.
Biden’s pledge is part of his broader plan to fight COVID-19 and jump-start the economy. His $ 1.9 trillion plan includes $ 130 billion to help schools fix ventilation systems, stock up on protective equipment, and take other steps to open. Getting students back into the classroom is seen as an important step in getting parents back to work.
But reopening efforts have faced roadblocks, due in part to the slow rollout of vaccines and deadlock with teachers. Although schools in some areas teach in person, many schools remain largely or entirely online. In cities like Chicago and San Francisco, districts have faced resistance from teachers who refuse to return until their demands are met.
Before Biden’s goal was cleared up this week, even some of his top health officials said the goal would be reached. Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke to teachers last month and said Biden’s goal of reopening the school “may not happen because there may be extenuating circumstances,” including new types of COVID-19.
The delays have frustrated many parents, including some whose children have been learning at home for nearly a year. In Congress, the reopening debate has become increasingly heated as Republicans oppose further school aid, saying there are indications that schools can now be safely reopened.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study last month finding that, with wearing a mask and other precautions, it is generally safe to receive in-person education. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky later added that vaccinating teachers “is not a prerequisite for the safe reopening of schools.”
Republicans saw the statement as further support for the reopening, but the White House declined to take a firm stance on the matter, saying Walensky was making the comment “in her personal capacity.” Psaki said the White House would wait for updated school counseling that Biden requested from the CDC.
The CDC’s guidelines, which are likely to recommend safety precautions and indicate when it is safe to operate in person, are expected to be released soon.